United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends a news conference at the UN office in Geneva, Switzerland, October 6, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)
The UN envoy told a news conference in the Swiss city of Geneva that if the terrorists lay down their weapons “in dignity” and leave Aleppo, he would “personally” accompany them out.
He also warned that Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists are in essence holding “hostage” roughly 275,000 people in the embattled Syrian city.
Aleppo faces total destruction, De Mistura said, adding, “In maximum two months, [or] two and a half months the city of eastern Aleppo may be totally destroyed.”
Russia Welcomes UN Offer
Meanwhile, Russia voiced support for De Mistura’s proposal for escorting the terrorists out of Aleppo.
TASS news agency quoted Mikhail Bogdanov, a Russian presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, as saying, "It's high time" referring to the UN envoy's plea.
The developments came one day after the Syrian military announced a decision to scale back its attacks against foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists in Aleppo in a bid to allow safe passage for civilians out of the city.
Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and De Mistura have put the death toll from the Syria conflict at more than 300,000 and 400,000, respectively. This is while the UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
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